OUR TEAM

As the Director of DEI, Marie works with Washington staff, members of the board of trustees, colleagues across the Nature Conservancy, and partners to advance the Washington chapter’s work in DEI, grow its culture, and help deepen its mission impact. She holds a BA in English and Philosophy from Scripps College and a master’s degree in Higher Education with a concentration in Student Access and Success from the University of Michigan.

Inducted – Term End: Jan 2022 – Sept 2025

Neil joined the Hellam Varon offices in 1985 working with individuals and closely-held businesses to help them achieve their financial objectives.  He holds a B.S in Accounting from Central Washington University and M.S. in Taxation from Golden Gate University.  He enjoys local sports, music, wine tasting and spending time with wife Carolee and his daughters and two granddaughters.  Neil is drawn to board service at Summer Search to support their work in helping future generations thrive.

Inducted – Term End: Jul 2016 – Sept 2022

Ian is the CEO of EVERGREENs, a Seattle-based fast casual restaurant with locations across the greater Seattle and Portland metro areas.  Prior to EVERGREENs, Ian spent a decade focused on driving growth at strong Seattle-based retailers such as MOD Pizza, zulily, and Starbucks.  He has an MBA from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington and an undergraduate degree with a double major in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Puget Sound.  Ian and his wife, Tiffany, have two children and are passionate about Seattle sports, travel, and the outdoors.  

Inducted – Term End: March 2022 – Sept 2025

Suzanne grew up in Southern California where she graduated from California State Dominguez Hills with a B.S. in Finance. She moved to Seattle in 1995 with her husband, Mike, and two daughters, Summer and Tiffany. Suzanne spent 15 years in sales where she developed a love for building relationships and negotiating. Summer Search’s mission really hit home with Suzanne as the daughter of immigrants from two of the most poverty-stricken cities in the Philippines.

Inducted – Term End: July 2016 – Sept 2022

Fran Erskine is the Senior Vice President of Tax at Expedia Group and has been at the company for 18 years.  Prior to joining Expedia Group, Fran worked at PwC in the international tax practice for over 10 years in Chicago, London, and Seattle.  Fran has broad knowledge related to international expansion of multinational companies, mergers and acquisitions, and taxation of the digital economy.

Fran is an executive sponsor of Expedia Group’s Transgender Non-Conforming Advisory Council shaping company policy for diversity and inclusion.  Most recently she was appointed as the executive sponsor of learning and development for global finance employees.

Fran is on the Board of the Association of Washington Business Institute.  She received her Master of Science in Taxation from DePaul University, with honors, and her undergraduate degree from University of Illinois at Chicago, with highest distinction.  Fran was a Federal Pell Grant recipient which provided financial support for her undergraduate education.

Fran loves Summer Search and has been a supporter for many years.

Inducted – Term End: May 2021 – Sept 2024

Kate leads passenger experience storytelling for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and develops consumer campaigns that make the airport more engaging for travelers and a better public agency for the Pacific Northwest region. An alumna of Summer Search, she previously served on Summer Search Seattle’s Alumni Board from 2012-2016 in various leadership roles. Kate earned a B.A. in strategic communications from Seattle University.

Inducted – Term End: May 2017 – Sept 2023

At VISA Michele focuses on innovation and new digital payment technologies for developed and emerging economies. Prior to Visa, she worked in the investment banking division at Merrill Lynch, New York. Michele holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School and a BA in Economics from Colgate Univ. She is a founding member of Pitch Your Peers Seattle and trained to be a wish granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Michele and her husband Cameron have two children, Max and Molly.

Inducted – Term End: Oct 2022 – Sept 2023

Andy is a graduate of the University of Washington who has spent his entire career with Lydig, starting with an internship in 2006. Andy also serves as a member of the UW Construction Management Construction Industry Advisory Council and is active in the community, volunteering at food banks and charity endeavors focused in the greater Seattle area. Andy is an avid pit bull rescuer, devoted to the 12^th man, a huge Sounders FC Faithful, and a Save-Our-Sonics participant.

Inducted – Term End: Jan 2020 – Sept 2023

Elizabeth is the Chief Revenue Officer of Daily Harvest. Before her current role she served as General Manager of Amazon’s Subscribe & Save Program. Prior to joining Amazon in 2016, Elizabeth spent 12 years at General Mills where she was a Sr. Business Unit Director and also led innovation and growth strategies for a variety of cereal and baking brands. Elizabeth has a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School at Northwestern Univ. She and her husband Eric have three children (Calder, Anja, Corbet) and like to explore the PNW.

Inducted – Term End: June 2019 – Sep 2022

Jean is a partner at PwC and supports organization and workforce transformation efforts. She specializes in change management and workforce transitions resulting from technology changes and has worked for a range of organizations. Jean holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Illinois. She leads various diversity groups and tries to be an ally wherever possible. She lives in Seattle with her son and works on fitness and mindfulness.

Inducted – Term End: March 2018 – Sept 2024

Before moving to Mercer Island in 2017, Christina practiced law for 13 years in Toronto, including at BlackBerry and Bank of Montreal. She supported the Canadian Organization for Development through Education (CODE) by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise funds for children’s literacy programs, and worked with inner city schools to foster a love of reading. She has a B.A. in Politics and Economics from McGill and a J.D. from Western Univ. She and her husband Terry have daughters Pascale and Zoe.

Inducted – Term End: Oct 2020 – Sept 2023

Rachel is a partner in the e-Discovery Analysis & Technology practice group at K&L Gates. Prior to moving back home to Seattle a few years ago, Rachel practiced law for 14 years in the other Washington, where she also provided pro bono legal services to the Children Law’s Center and DC Appleseed. Before attending law and business schools, Rachel, along with her husband Ed, was a rural community education volunteer and trainer in the Peace Corps. Rachel is also passionate about elder care and fitness.

Inducted – Term End: Nov 2017 – Sept 2023

Erik is a Principal Owner responsible for Business Operations at Toth Construction with his brother Klaus. Toth Construction was started by his father Walter in 1976, and is a premier remodeler and builder of custom homes in the Seattle area.  Erik has a B.S. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Washington. He is also very involved with the Boy Scouts of America, YMCA and the First United Methodist Church. Erik and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, Tristan and Emma.

Inducted – Term End: June 2011 – Sept 2024

Nicci’s calling is to help people and organizations achieve more. A Director of Product Marketing at Microsoft by day and founder of TROVI design by night, Nicci has helped individuals, teams, and some of the world’s most iconic brands find their purpose, build the plans they need to succeed and create a culture where everyone can thrive. Nicci is a graduate of Arizona State University (B.S. Marketing, Dance) and Indiana University (M.B.A. Marketing) and has spent her career seeking a variety of roles and industries to fuel her passion for learning new things at some of the world’s biggest companies, including Nestle, General Mills, Amazon, and Microsoft. She loves mentoring and giving back locally to her community by serving as a volunteer through Big Brother Big Sister, helping the next generation of women have the confidence to pursue roles in tech as a volunteer mentor for Built By Girls, and helping entrepreneurs develop their business ideas and acumen as a mentor through Seed Spot and YLAI. Nicci lives in Issaquah with her grad-school sweetheart, Bill, their rambunxious toddler Tucker, and cute, but grumpy Havanese, Ollie.

Inducted – Term End: Sept 2021 – Sept 2024

Alisa has a background in technology sales and product management but has stepped away to focus on family, primarily her daughter who has a genetic disorder and is a regular patient at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Alisa’s other passions are her co-ed soccer team and fundraising for Summer Search or Seattle Children’s through her nonprofit, I Can And I Will Guild. Alisa grew up in Yakima, WA. She has a B.A. in English Literature from the UW. She and her husband, Josh, have two kids, Olivia (9) and Oscar (6).

Inducted – Term End: May 2017 – Sept 2023

Bryan works as Managing Director/Head of Office of the BlackRock Seattle office. Bryan is a 4th generation Seattleite with a close family who have ties to Ballard. He and Christy currently have a Redmond address but basically live in Carnation. He enjoys running, travel/skiing in the off seasons, and reading. Bryan and Christy have three daughters – 17, 14, and 11.

Inducted – Term End: Oct 2021 – Sept 2024

Jane is a Senior Research Scientist at Amazon, where she leads research investigating the impact of operations on local communities. She previously led research and data science efforts at Seattle Public Schools and McREL International, including the development of risk models to identify students for targeted college and career readiness supports. She holds a PhD in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Colorado Boulder, an MPA in policy analysis from Indiana University, and a BA in Policy Analysis and English from Rice University. She and her husband, Wolfgang, are passionate about skiing, hiking and enjoying the PNW.

Inducted – Term End: November 2022 – Sept 2026

Elissa Fink serves on several not-for-profit and corporate boards, including Summer Search, Dataiku, Qumulo and Pantheon. Retired from Tableau Software in 2019 after 11+ years as their CMO, she helped grow the company from ~$5 million to over $1 billion in revenue. She earned a BA in English and an MBA in Marketing. Fink is the daughter of two immigrants who highly valued post-secondary education for all 6 of their children, despite their not being able to have that privilege. She now enjoys time with her husband, teenaged daughter and 9-year-old son.

Inducted – Term End: January 2023 – Sept 2026